Apep
Apep or Apophis (Emranese) was the ancient Khemeten deity who embodied chaos and was thus the opponent of light (order/truth). He appears in ancient art of Khemet as a giant serpent. Development Ra was the solar deity, bringer of light, and thus the upholder of truth. Apep was viewed as the greatest enemy of Ra, and thus was given the title Enemy of Ra, and also "the Lord of Chaos". As the personification of all that was evil, Apep was seen as a giant snake or serpent leading to such titles as Serpent from the Nile and Evil Lizard. Some elaborations said that he stretched 16 yards in length and had a head made of flint. To the Tiberians, Apophis was a large golden snake known to be miles long. While in most texts he is described as a giant snake, he is sometimes depicted as a crocodile. The few descriptions of Apep's origin in myth usually demonstrate that it was born after Ra, usually from his umbilical cord. Combined with its absence from Egyptian creation myths, this has been interpreted as suggesting that Apep wasn't a primordial force in Egyptian theology, but a consequence of Ra's birth. This suggests that evil is the consequence of an individual's own struggles against non-existence. Battles with Ra Tales of Apep's battles against Ra were elaborated during the New Kingdom. Storytellers said that every day Apep must lie just below the horizon. This appropriately made him a part of the underworld. In some stories Apep waited for Ra in a western mountain called Bakhu, where the sun set, and in others Apep lurked just before dawn, in the Tenth region of the Night. The wide range of Apep's possible location gained him the title World Encircler. It was thought that his terrifying roar would cause the underworld to rumble. Myths sometimes say that Apep was trapped there, because he had been the previous chief god overthrown by Ra, or because he was evil and had been imprisoned. The Coffin Texts imply that Apep used a magical gaze to overwhelm Ra and his entourage. Ra was assisted by a number of defenders who traveled with him, including Set and possibly the Eye of Ra. Apep's movements were thought to cause earthquakes, and his battles with Set may have been meant to explain the origin of thunderstorms. In one account, Ra himself defeats Apep in the form of a cat. Bind of Seth After Seth betrayed the people of Khemet by allowing a foreign invasion to succeed, Amun-Ra intervened and threw back the invaders. As punishment for his betrayal, Seth was given to Apep to be devoured. Instead of destroying Seth completely, Apep bound him to the Darkstar world, to be imprisoned for all time. Planar Wars While not a primordial deity of Khemet, Apep formed an important party of the religion's cosmology. When the armies of hell invaded the Material Plane, Apep stood against the distinctly evil forces using his servants and powers of chaos to fight. After the First Planar War, Apep was thought to have perished with the rest of the deities of the Khemetan pantheon. Worship Ra's victory each night was thought to be ensured by the prayers of the Khemetan priests and worshipers at temples. The Khemetans practiced a number of rituals that were thought to ward off Apep, and aid Ra to continue his journey across the sky. In an annual rite, called the Banishing of Chaos, priests would build an effigy of Apep that was thought to contain all of the evil and darkness in Khemet, and burn it to protect everyone from Apep's evil for another year. The Khemetan priests had a detailed guide to fighting Apep, referred to as The Books of Overthrowing Apep (or the Book of Apophis, in Emranese). The chapters described a gradual process of dismemberment and disposal, and include: Spitting Upon Apep Defiling Apep with the Left Foot Taking a Lance to Smite Apep Fettering Apep Taking a Knife to Smite Apep Putting Fire Upon Apep In addition to stories about Ra's winnings, this guide had instructions for making wax models, or small drawings, of the serpent, which would be spat on, mutilated and burnt, whilst reciting spells that would kill Apep. Fearing that even the image of Apep could give power to the demon, any rendering would always include another deity to subdue the monster. As Apep was thought to live in the underworld, he was sometimes thought of as an Eater of Souls. Thus the dead also needed protection, so they were sometimes buried with spells that could destroy Apep. The Book of the Dead does not frequently describe occasions when Ra defeated the chaos snake explicitly called Apep. Only BD Spells 7 and 39 can be explained as such.